


the devil’s in the details

by caitlesshea



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Realizations, clueless booker, nile and booker friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:14:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25833331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlesshea/pseuds/caitlesshea
Summary: The last person to realize that Booker is dating Copley, is Booker.
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre/James Copley
Comments: 16
Kudos: 161





	the devil’s in the details

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't help myself. 
> 
> Discord kept talking about clueless Booker not realizing he was dating Copley and then this happened. 
> 
> I regret nothing.

“Jesus Booker.” 

Booker looks up at the sound of Copley’s voice as he sits down next to him at the bar. 

“Didn’t think you’d come.”

“How much have you had to drink? You texted me ten minutes ago.”

Booker shrugs as he unapologetically finishes the beer he’s drinking as Copley sighs next to him.

“Takes a lot for us to get drunk.”

“So you thought you’d manage it in ten minutes?”

“I’ll be sober soon don’t worry.”

Copley looks like he’s about to say something but must think better of it because he shakes his head and throws money down on the bar.

“What?”

“C’mon, you can sleep it off at my house.”

“No, I don’t…”

“Well, I don’t really care.”

“Aren’t _they_ coming over?”

“You know they are. But they won’t be in my bedroom so you’ll be fine.”

“Your bedroom, huh?”

“You’re giving me a headache.”

Booker shrugs again as he lays his head back against the headrest in Copley’s car.

By the time they get to Copley’s Booker is sober and he wants nothing more than to keep drinking but he feels like he should at least sit with these miserable thoughts for the time being.

“Here.” Copley walks him into his bedroom and it’s as starkly modern and comfortable to Booker as the rest of the house. 

Copley’s bed looks inviting, with white linens and a comfy looking blanket. It’s so different from their safe houses, so different from the apartments Booker owns in Paris, and the one house he owns in Marseille, the one he raised his sons in.

It almost feels like some of Joe and Nicky’s homes, with a lot less color. 

Booker sits down heavy on the bed and looks over at the nightstand and sees a photo of Copley’s late wife. 

“Will you be okay?”

Booker looks up at that and he notices Copley’s genuinely asking. He swallows roughly and looks one last time at the photo before nodding.

“I’ll get out of your hair when they leave.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Copley.”

“Just stay for tonight Booker, at least.”

Booker nods again just as they hear noise outside. Booker kicks off his boots and gets himself comfortable as Copley turns to great his new guests, but not before throwing a book at Booker’s head. 

Booker chuckles and lets the voices wash over him. Even though it’s been less than a day he misses when their warmth was directed at him. Although now when he thinks about never hearing their voices again for a hundred years he’d take Joe yelling at him over the silence. 

He puts the book down and leans back against the bed, secretly hoping he’s laying on Copley’s side of the bed when the door bursts open and he nearly falls off the bed. 

“Nile.” Booker scrambles to get up as she just stands in the doorway with an eyebrow raised.

“What are you doing in here?”

“I was looking for the bathroom.” Nile deadpans and Booker rolls his eyes 

“You need to learn to be a better liar.”

Now it’s her turn to roll her eyes and Booker sighs.

“I could tell Copley was hiding something. He kept looking down the hall.”

“Do the others?”

“No, they’ve been staring at his weird detective board.”

Booker nods his head as he watches Nile take in Copley’s room. He follows her gaze to the corner by the window where there’s a chair with an even thicker blanket draped across is haphazardly. There’s also a small table with glasses and a water cup next to it and Booker realizes it’s probably where Copley spends the most time. 

There’s a dresser with photos of Copley’s nieces and a tray with his other watch and small trinkets, and the cologne he wears that Booker _swears_ he can smell on the sheets.

“He has kids?” Nile’s question breaks Booker out of his musings.

“Nieces.”

“Oh?” Nile’s looking at him like she just uncovered some huge secret and Booker doesn’t like it.

“How long have you two been dating?”

Booker’s so shocked that he doesn’t think he even makes a sound, just stares at her blinking like he just woke up from a death.

“We’re not dating.” Booker manages to croak out which makes Nile snort in amusement. 

“But you want to?”

“I…” Booker doesn’t know how to answer because his immediate response is _no_ but the more he thinks about it the more he realizes that isn’t quite true. 

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Nile says as she walks further into the room to pat him on his back.

“You didn’t.”

“Well, if you ever get your head out of your ass and make a move text me and tell me how it went.”

“You want me to text you?” Booker looks up at her and feels like he’s teetering on the edge of a cliff. The hope he feels at her statement will crush him if she decides against it. 

“I’d like you to.” Nile sighs. “I, well, I don’t want to wait a hundred years and I know they aren’t ready but you understand things they never will.”

Booker nods, too choked up to speak and Nile leans down to hug him. 

“You can let yourself have this, Book.” Nile whispers in his ear as she turns to leave. 

Booker leans back against the headboard as he goes over Nile’s observations in his head. He doesn’t really know how he missed it all these months. All the late nights on the phone with Copley, all their texts about everything. The very fact that they stopped their pretenses after a while, slipping into using James and Sébastien in the dead of night. 

“Huh.” Booker says out loud to know one and then jumps when he realizes he’s not alone.

“What’s got you thinking so hard?”

“Where’d the team go?”

“Safe house. They’ll get in touch.”

Booker nods, almost nervous now, even though he doesn’t know why, considering the most calm he’s felt in his two hundred and some odd years of being immortal is with this man right here.

“Why didn’t you tell me we’re dating?” Booker blurts out and mentally cringes when he realizes how _young_ he sounds. 

“Sébastien.” 

“No.” Booker shakes his head as he stands up and walks over to Copley. “You didn’t…”

“How could I?” 

Oh. 

_Oh._

Copley thinks Booker doesn’t want him. Well, he’s going to rectify that. 

“James.” Booker reaches out and grabs the lapels of Copley’s jacket. “Kiss me.”

And he _does_.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on Tumblr - same username!


End file.
